


Between The Pages

by tweetiebird



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Library, Romance, Slow Burn, just a little though, nothing bad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-05-01 19:59:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5218904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tweetiebird/pseuds/tweetiebird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based off of the "We work at opposite ends of a library but we have this book swap thing going on and somehow we started leaving notes in the books" au</p><p>Emma only wants to finish those book stacks and go on with her life, until something between the pages of Peter Pan puts a dent in her boring day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Between The Pages

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter Summary:
> 
> “Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.”  
> ― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

If Emma had to pick one person to blame all of her misfortunes on, it would be Mary-Margret and her strong belief in true-love. Her mother was an easy scapegoat because when you get down to it, it was Mary-Margret’s “You will find your true-love one day,” speech that inadvertently drove Emma to where she is today.

When Emma was younger, her mother would read her these bedtime stories of fabricated tales that she had woven about a damsel being rescued by her knight in shining armor.

As Emma got older, Mary-Margret grew bolder and began to throw a “ball” on Valentine’s Day where she would set Emma on blind dates (which all ended badly for both parties). After Mary-Margret’s failed attempt at match-making Emma had plainly stated that “no one rescues me but me, I am not one of the damsels form your stories!”

In the end, it was her mother’s harping on true-love that convinced Emma to take a chance on Walsh. After the mistake with Neal that ended with her being sent to jail, she vowed to never trust her heart to another that wasn’t a part of her family of friends group, but he was her only exception. He had come into her life when the other IT person at her office retired, so he filled the spot. At the time, Emma worked at an office as the girl who fixed computers and occasionally bringing her superior’s coffee when they asked nicely (which happened more often than not).

She absolutely hated her box office job. She hated feeling trapped and not having the ability to see the blue skies. But when Walsh came, her job suddenly became much more bearable with his quirky, awkward jokes and easy-going nature.

At first she didn’t give him the time of day, only rolling her eyes at his mannerisms or puns (he did like his puns), until the office’s Christmas party came rolling in. After a month of asking her, Emma got fed up and dared him that if he got three bulls eyes on the dart board in the employee lounge, she’d go with him. In stroke of luck, he did just that.

They dated for about a year until Emma started to notice the red flags here and there. When Walsh attempted to cover his whereabouts, he lied, and Emma always knew when he was lying. Lies and lies started to come and pile, and finally the truth came out.

Emma broke the relationship when she found another office worker, Zelena’s, wallet on lying on the floor of Walsh’s bedroom, along with her bra.

After the breakup, Walsh became sour, almost acting like a flying circus monkey with that way he practically hovered near her.

About a week went by until he cornered Emma in the breakroom corner and attempted to grope her.

She of course kneed him in the crotch and ran.

A week later she was fired from her boring office job because Walsh and Zelena had filed assault charges (luckily she didn’t get sent to jail or had to pay an actual fine because they really had no evidence).

This is how Emma ended up moving back to her hometown, Storybrooke, Maine, and found herself living with her parents, jobless again.

She absolutely had to find a job to get her back and up on her feet, far away from her parent’s house because the two still acted as though they are on their “extend honeymoon” as David called it.

She found herself a well-paying job as a Librarian 1 in the main, not to mention the only, library the town had to offer.

It was a quaint little library at the town’s center, which was easy to stop with the tall clock tower that towered above the building. The library wasn’t opened until recently, when a young woman named belle got the keys to the building when she divorced her husband.

She decided to reopen the library, and completed all the renovations on her own she because she was never one to back down form a challenge, but soon it became apparent that one person could not run a library (not even one that small) on their own.

Which is where Emma comes into the picture.

Figuring that she desperately needed a new job, and Belle was really a good friend, Emma gladly accepted the position, after all how hard could shelving books, helping patrons, and deciphering the card catalog be?

She wasn’t the only one who came to help Belle, others worked in different parts. Will Scarlet, helped Belle with the heavy lifting (although everyone knew he was there just for her, she didn’t seem to shy away from him either) and he practically followed her around.

Robin was on security as was “Little” John and a few others, making sure no rowdy hoodlums attempt to make off with a book (but really they just helped out everyone, often bouncing around between stations).

At Circulation, there was Aurora and Ashley (everyone calls her "Cinderella" because she was in such a rush to get to work on time, she came in with ash all over her face after a chimney accident), who worked on checking in and out books for people (they couldn’t afford a shelf-checkout yet. And finally, all the way on the other side of the building is where the book donations come in.

The people that worked there receive the books, check and assess the damage if any, and then they send the books to Emma where she catalogs them. In the Book Drop Off, there was a man named Erick, another named Killian and a woman named Ariel.

Everyone in the “team” as Belle put it, was like a third family to Emma (first being her parents and second being her friends).

Every Friday after work, they would all go off to Granny’s and pig out of soda and pizza, thankful that the long week was I've.

They were all great and amazing, Emma never felt more needed. She loved her job now, she never even knew why she accepted that box office job.

* * *

That Friday had been tiring. There was a field trip to the library, something about showing the kids different job opportunities.

She had to stop a few kids from using the industrial like elevator, a few kids almost knocked over the entire medicine display, and another had gotten into the card catalog that Emma had worked so hard on.

She really needed that drink after work more than ever now, but luckily there was no permanent damage. At least she wasn’t the only one to suffer at the school kids’ mercy, Circulation and Security got their hands tied with kid watch.

The Book Drop Off were the only smart ones who locked themselves in one of the back rooms with several boxes full of donations to keep them company. They also commandeered the food and drink supply from the break room so they only needed to unlock the door in case of dire circumstances.

“You alright there?” Asked a voice above Emma as she drowned her drink, “You look dead.”

“I feel dead,” she stated looking up at Ruby, her best friend.

“Attack of the pre-pubescent children I heard.” Ruby said, taking the seat next to her.

“They just kept coming,” Emma shuddered at the memory. If it had been her mother’s class, everything would have gone smoothly, but this year it was a new teacher that still didn’t realize that you had to punish the kids when they act out, “The only ones that were safe were the ones that locked themselves in the storage closet with a day’s ration of food and water.”

“Sounds horrible,” Ruby laughed, “Sorry, it’s just funny thinking of you standing on a table trying to fight off sugar crazed kids with a chair.”

“We almost had to!” Robin shouted from his seat next to Regina, the mayor and also Mary-Margret's sister. Others in the diner laughed but Emma only bent down and hit her head on the table.  
  
“Chin up Swan, it could’ve been much worse,” She heard a deep Irish voice above her, which meant it was Killian.

“You have nothing to say Jones, you and your cronies locked yourselves in a closet and stayed there while the rest of us had to defend the fort.” Emma exclaimed, not lifting her head. He chuckled from her left, causing her to peek up.  
  
“That’s because we were smart and hid before anything bad happened,” He smirked, taking the seat next to hers. She groaned, hitting her head on the table again.

“Depends on your definition of bad Jones,” She sighed, reaching out blindly for a drink, “A kid tried to bite my ankle! Why would he try to bite my ankle?” She asked, waving her arms madly.

“You sure they weren’t hungry?”

“Oh I’m sure they were famished with all the food they ate from the break room.”

“I thought Mary-Margret was supposed to be the head teacher on this trip,” Ruby said.

“Something came up at the school so they had to give that job to a new teacher,” Killian replied.

“Whatever, as long as I get home and sleep then it’s all well,” Emma yawned, standing up to get her things ready to go.

She made her rounds, saying goodnight to everyone until Monday (the library was closed on weekends save for Belle and a few others that helped to pick up) promising that she’d help contribute to restocking the break room. 

Pushing the diir open with a clank, Emma was met with a wall of cold air. Feeling her cheeks freeze, she vigorously rubbed her bare hands over her arms in attempt to gain warmth.

Emma was about to round the corner until someone called out to her, “Wait up Swan,”

“Jones?” She asked, squinting her eyes a little at the leather clad figure that was running up to her. After a few seconds, Killian reached her, stopping and holding out her phone that she had left on the counter.  
  
“You left this behind so I figured you’d want it back,” He said, stuffing his hands back into his pockets.

“Oh my goodness I didn’t even realize I left it, thank you!” Emma smiled, reaching it out to take her cellphone back. He returned the smile and began to walk ahead of her.  
  
“It’s a lovely night out so I might as well see you home,”

“Nothing is going to happen to me out here Jones,”

“Oh, I didn’t say that now did I,” He countered, “I simply find this to be a delightful evening and I would very much like a stroll under the stars, and seeing as my apartment is not a ways away from yours, I might as well have some company.”

“Alright then,” She gave in seeing as he didn’t make any move to leave her side.

The walk wasn’t that long because nothing was very far from anything in Storybrooke, but they still made decent conversation. They talked about anything and everything, bouncing between topics. Emma mainly stayed on her adventures of card cataloging and he described some of the new old books (new to the library) that’s been delivered to the library by a 70 year old man who had these books in the attic since he was a kid.

He spoke in great detail about one of the better kept books, one composed of several different fairy-tales, which was larger in comparison to the others.

Killian even said that he might look into the background of these new old books (he believed they were rare copies and most of the time he was right about his hunches).

When they got to the front of her apartment complex (which was one of those three floored with nine different apartments buildings) they both stopped.

“Well, thank you for walking me home Jones,” Emma said, covering her mouth before a yawn escaped her lips.

“My pleasure Swan,” Killian replied with a slight bow of his head, “Goodnight, and sleep tight.” He said before slipping off into the darkness of the dimly lit road, walking towards the docks where his apartment was.

“Goodnight,” Emma called, tiptoeing up the creaking stairs to her second floor studio room.

* * *

“Good morning!” Ariel called, every so perky on Mondays. The ginger waved at Emma as she walked in, bending down to grab a new box of donations.

Emma waved back, sending the girl a weak smile. She never did take well to Mondays, always upset that it was the end of her lazy weekend of binge watching Netflix and pigging out on cereal like any proper adult would.

“Morning,” She replied with a yawn.

Emma trudged her way into the break room, greeting everyone who was gathered in there. Everybody had a little bit of home in that room, and by a little bit of home I mean food and drinks.

Everyone had their own cabinets stocked full of food (until the terrors of last week raided their glorious stashes). Emma put the bag she was carrying in front of her cabinet, which someone had slapped on a swan sticker to distinguish it was in fact Emma’s, and began to unload the contents into her cabinet. 

Monday was normally their busy day because all the books that have been dropped off over the course of last week had to be cataloged into the system today and that was Emma’s job.

They still worked off a card and stamp system, so Emma had a very long day ahead of her. Normally they would have a volunteer help her, but today there weren’t any sign-ins because it was the beginning of the week, and the students normally began to stop by around Wednesday.

“You look chipper,” Ashley said, passing Emma her coffee as she always did. Ashley and Aurora normally arrive first after Belle, so while Belle set up the waffle maker, Aurora made the coffee and Ashley delivered it.

“I would feel even more chipper with my coffee,” Emma sighed, reaching out to wrap both her hands around the warm mug.

It was beginning to get chilly with November rolling in, so everybody was in sweaters, and wrapping sweater-mitt hands around a cup of some sort of warm drink was one of life’s simple gifts.

Slowly, everyone began to pour into the small room, each bringing some sort of good.  Robin and his “merry men” as everyone took to calling them, brought doughnuts of every type. Killian brought more bags of coffee (probably just for himself). Ariel and Erick brought some goods that they backed over the week, and even Will brought sandwiches (which happened to be Belle’s favorite but no one mentioned it).

“Well, everyone get ready because we’re opening in a few minutes,” Belle said, checking the clock, “We’ve got a full day with the new donations that town hall donated, thank you Robin.” The man smiled and continued eating his jelly doughnut.

Emma pushed back her seat, and made way to the large room that had CARD CATALOGING imprinted on the door. She pushed open the large wooden door, and walked to the desk she deemed her “work home” because it had all her work belongs stored in there.

Her office wasn’t as plain as the last one, she made sure of that. She even had a lovely view of Main Street. Emma walked over to the window and opened it, making sure to thank the universe for this window.

A light knock on the door startled her, but she soon calmed when she saw Killian walk into the room carrying two large boxes.

“These are some of the rare books I was talking to you about on Friday,” Killian said, dropping one of the boxes onto her desk and the other on the floor, “Some of these have already been cataloged in a library, but that must have been about 20 years ago. The owner took very good care of them so many of these have minimal damage, aside from time and wear.”

“Thanks,” Emma nodded while opening the cabinet nearest to her and riffled through the contents before pulling out her big binder.

Killian stood around her desk awkwardly, looking as though he wanted to say something, but he quickly excused himself, leaving the office in haste.

Emma opened up the first box and started going through in. She deposited all the boxes contents on her table, stacking them in alphabetical order.  Grabbing the first book in the stack-Anne of Green Gables- she flipped to the last page, and glued the card sleeve in place.

Stamping the library logo onto the sleeve, she slipped the logging card into place and made note of it in her binder. Emma then took out a clean card and filled in all the necessary  information: Library name and address, book title, author, and publication date. She left the areas that states where the book can be found blank for circulation to fill out. When Emma was done completing the card, she stuck it in the book between the pages.

Emma did this for every book until she finished the first stack, which took more than an hour to complete. Once she was done with that box, she called one of Robin's "Merry men" to come, pick up the box and drop it off at circulation. 

Lifting the second box onto her desk, she opened the flap and found that the very first book was the one that Killian had talked about the other day. 

The big book had a brown leather binding, with golden lettering on the front that read "Once Upon a Time". Flipping to the contents page, she saw the different stories that were included. There was Snow White's story, Red Riding Hood, Robin Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Rumpelstiltskin, Beauty and the Beast, and Peter Pan just to count a few. But the only thing that was strange was that Peter Pan was circled. Raising an eyebrow, she read that Pan's story began on page 134, so Emma flipped to that page only to find a letter of sorts between the pages addressed to her.

Emma glanced around the room, turning in her chair as if someone was watching her before she took out the letter, studying her name before opening it.

The letter was written out in black ink and was clearly a man's handwriting, so that leaves only one person who must have written it.

_Dear Swan,_

_I hope you are having a delightful morning, and if you aren't then I do hope that this letter brightens your day._

_Although I find that this isn't the most proper way of starting a conversation, I figure that this is a rather fun and absurd form of communication, and you know me well enough by now to know that I find this entertaining._  
  
_And you do know me I assure you, if the book I slipped this letter in was any indication._  
  
_Anyway, if you feel up to it to answer this sad gent, stick a reply letter under the mat in front of your office. Every letter from here on out will have a little clue in it for the next book that will have a letter in between it's pages, so it's somewhat like a treasure _ _hunt. But if you find this to be tedious, then simply dont reply and I won't bother you again, scout's honor._  
  
_Live a little Swan._

_K.J_

"What the fuck," Emma muttered before wondering whether or not she should reply. Thinking up pros and cons, she figured that this might be entertaining for her office life, but at the same time it was highly inappropriate. Her eyes went back to his "Live a little Swan" before searching for her writing pad (which conveniently had little stars imprinted on the corner of every page).

_Dear Mr. Jones,_

_I would like you to know that this is in fact inappropriate, not to mention highly unconventional. However, going against every warning sign in my adult mind, I will reply to you out of sheer curiosity._  
  
_And my morning is going just like another Monday of the week, but I'll be needing more coffee in order to get through this day._  
  
_Any reason why you decided to let me find the letter between Peter Pan? And, I don't believe you were ever in boy scouts if I remember correctly._  
  
_Emma._  
  
  
Once she was done with the letter, Emma folded it and got up from her desk. Hesitating, she slowly opened her door and peered down the hallway to make sure that no one saw her. Then, she lifted up her novelty rug which named many of the biggest city's in the world from Moscow to Pyongyang. 

Closing the door behind her, she went back to her desk in order to finish up the stack of books that she had left on her small desk.

 _"This could be either very good or very bad,"_ she thought before continuing the book stack she had abandoned. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This may or may not update soon because I currently have like four other multi-chapter stories currently in the works.
> 
> ***this is unbeta'd so if you see an error of any kind, please please please point it out!!!
> 
> Just a quick mention, Killian and Emma attended grammar-high school together and were friends, but they split after Emma had moved to Boston, so she only really kept up with her family and Ruby (It will be explained in later chapters but I just wanted to say it here).
> 
> **As I mentioned before in the other note thing, this story has no beta, so if you see a mistake, please point it out :)
> 
> Oh, and leave a comment/kudo if you like so far!


End file.
